


The Jeweled Egg Caper

by Animedemon01



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/F, M/M, Original Character(s), VILE says gay rights, be gay do crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 06:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20810231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animedemon01/pseuds/Animedemon01
Summary: In order to steal the Rothschild egg, El Topo and Le Chevre are paired up with two other VILE operatives.





	The Jeweled Egg Caper

“Because of the difficulty of this assignment, combined with your recent streak of failures, we have decided that it would be best if you worked with another pair of operatives.” Professor Maelstrom had told Jean-Paul and Antonio. “Meet Magpie and Nighthawk.”

The two female operatives walked through the door, side by side. Neither Jean-Paul, nor Antonio, had worked with either of the girls before, but Jean-Paul had previously worked with their former classmate Lonestar before. According to him, the two women weren’t too back, at least not in comparison with their other classmate, Paper Star.

Magpie was a small Londoner who honestly looked like she could be taken down by a strong gust of wind. Nighthawk, on the other hand, was a large and heavily tattooed woman of Maori descent who had apparently served in the New Zealand air force before she joined VILE. Her power was no illusion.

While Nighthawk stood silently, Magpie seemed impatient.

“Alright; we’re all here, so let’s get going.” She said excitedly. “We all got our assignment packets, we know what we’re doing, so why are we wasting time just standing around?”

Nighthawk gave a nod. “You two have ten minutes before we leave without you.”

Jean-Paul and Antonio weren’t about to call her bluff, and quickly followed the two women out of the room.

After the operatives had left, Countess Cleo spoke up.

“Are you sure pairing El Topo and Le Chevre with those two is the best choice?” She asked the other head faculty members. “I fully trust Nighthawk to be successful, but Magpie has always seemed far too impulsive to me.”

“Magpie’s methods might seem a little unorthodox, but she has more than proved herself to be a competent operative.” Replied Professor Maelstrom. “Underneath that child-like façade hides a cold and calculating operative, one of the best manipulators I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching.”

Coach Brunt nodded in agreement. “Her record doesn’t lie; she and Nighthawk have been racking up a steady streak of successes since their graduation.”

“If her below-average performance in my class is anything to go by, sending Magpie out of a mission like this one won’t end well.” Muttered the Countess.

“So, the Cleaners will be dropping us off in Saint Petersburg, correct?” Asked Antonio as they walked out of the building.

Nighthawk simply shook her head. “There is no need for that; I have my pilots license, and VILE has provided me with a small jet plane for missions. Well, two jet planes, but the other one only fits two.”

“Even with four people, this one is way less cramped than the other one.” Added Magpie. “Even when its just us, the two-seater is bloody crowded.”

Antonio stiffened. He didn’t like heights or flying, and the jet looked far less safe than a helicopter.

Magpie seemed to immediately pick up on his fear. “Oh, don’t worry; I’ve flown with Kaia many times, and she hasn’t killed us yet. Of course, this might just be the time she does.”

“Mags!” Snapped Nighthawk. “For the last time, we are not going to crash! Stop telling people that this is going to be the time we do.”

The smaller woman huffed. “You’re no fun.”

Jean-Paul turned to the pilot. “She does this a lot?”

“Every time.” Nighthawk sighed as they approached the small aircraft. “Enough chatter; let’s get going.”

Nighthawk climbed into the pilot’s seat, while Magpie joined her in the co-pilot’s seat. Antonio and Jean-Paul took the two seats in the back. Despite the small size and few seats, the plane was surprisingly roomy, with much more legroom than one would find on a standard commercial airplane.

“First thing’s first; a couple of ground rules.” Said Nighthawk. “Number one, for the safety of everyone here, keep your seatbelts on until we are high enough for me to engage the autopilot. When it is time to land, I will tell you, and you must put your seatbelts on immediately. If I tell you to fasten your seatbelts midflight, it means we have hit bad weather, and you should do as I say.

“Number two; I am the captain of this vessel, and you will listen to me. You will not criticize or question my skills as a pilot. Mags gets away with it because I love her, but I have no qualms about throwing either of you out of the aircraft midair. Number three, do not vomit in my plane. Everybody clear?”

“Kaia doesn’t put up with nonsense from anyone.” Magpie told them. “Well, except from me.”

Nighthawk nodded. “Yes, and one more rule; do not mess with Mags. When you mess with her, you mess with me, and you do not want to mess with me. Got it?”

Antonio and Jean-Paul nodded.

“Okay, then.” Said Nighthawk. “I guess we’re off.”

It wasn’t too long into the flight when Nighthawk turned on the autopilot. “Okay, autopilot’s on; you can take off your seatbelts if you want.”

Everyone except for Antonio complied. Magpie quickly picked up on this and silently pointed it out to Nighthawk.

“He’s afraid of heights.” Explained Jean-Paul. “He won’t be taking off that seatbelt until we land.”

Nighthawk nodded. “Mags, dear, would you mind switching seats with Le Chevre? I would like to talk to him for a while, and that’s hard to do if he’s all the way back there?”

“Of course.” Replied Magpie.

Jean-Paul was a little reluctant to leave Antonio back there, but Nighthawk honestly scared him, and he wasn’t about to disobey her.

“Mag’s can be a handful, but I love her just the same.” She told him. “Fair warning though; if given the chance she will try and manipulate you. You may never even realize you were used.”

Jean-Paul looked behind him. Magpie was in buckled upside down in her seat. Antonio was laughing.

“She seems too innocent to manipulate someone.” He replied. “She’s childish, but not in a creepy way like Paper Star.”

“The innocence thing is an act.” Explained Nighthawk. “Mag’s is small, and she uses that to her advantage by putting on a childish façade. It puts people at ease and makes it less likely for them to realize they’re being used. She can read a person like a book and will use that to get what she wants.

“Think about it; she’s small and not very strong. If she really was just small and childish, she would be no use to VILE. But when she turns on her charm, she can have you wrapped around her finger like it’s nothing, and while I firmly believe that at one point, she _was _innocent, sometime during her life she transformed into a sociopath.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Scoffed Jean-Paul.

Magpie was currently sharing a muffin with Antonio, smiling and joking with the taller operative. There was no way she could be a sociopath.

About half an hour later, Magpie and Antonio were both fast asleep.

“Benadryl always seems to do the trick.” Chuckled Nighthawk. “And she never questions why I always insist on personally packing her a snack.”

Jean-Paul stared at her. “You drug your girlfriend?”

The woman shrugged. “She gets stressed out being trapped in a tiny plane on long flights, so I figure its for the best. You boyfriend will probably benefit from being knocked out for a few hours, too.”

“I’m beginning to think that _you’re _the sociopath.” He said.

“Incorrect,” Replied Nighthawk. “If I was a sociopath, I would be doing this somehow for my own benefit. But since I know Mag’s gets stressed when she feels caged, although I would enjoy her company, I make sure she sleeps through as much of the flight as possible.”

Jean-Paul didn’t really have a reply to that statement. Obviously, you probably shouldn’t be drugging your significant other, but Nighthawk had a good reason for doing it, and seemed to understand all the risks of the situation. Still, he wondered how Magpie never questioned it, or what she would do if she found out about it.

For the next few hours, the plane was quiet. Magpie and Antonio were still asleep, and Nighthawk wasn’t much for conversation. About 20 minutes before they were about to begin their decent into Saint Petersburg, the two operatives finally woke up.

“_Dios mío_.” Antonio yawned. “I never sleep on planes.”

“That’s because the muffin I shared with you was drugged.” Whispered Magpie. “Kaia always puts something in the snacks she makes me so that I’ll sleep through the flight. She still thinks I don’t know about it. I’ve never said anything about it, since I don’t like long flights, and the snack is always something I like.”

“If you knew the muffin was drugged, why did you give me some of it?” He asked her.

“It isn’t hard to tell that you’re afraid of heights.” She explained. “And if you were to be trapped in a tiny plane traveling at over ten thousand meters above the ground for too long, I suspect you would eventually lose it. So, of course, it was a logical decision to make sure you slept through the flight as well.”

“So, now that we’re all awake, I suggest we go over the assignment quick.” Magpie said, now speaking loud enough for the two operatives in the front to hear her. “I know we’ve all read through our assignment packets earlier, but it wouldn’t hurt to have everything in order. Le Chevre, my rucksack should be under your seat, care to pass it back here?”

Jean-Paul pulled the backpack from under his seat. It was pink and purple pastel with an almost vintage look to it, with a few cute animal keychains hanging from the zippers. He handed it to the woman.

Magpie rummaged through her backpack before pulling out a pin folder with a cat on it and a minicomputer that was shaped like a Nintendo 3Ds. Besides having the basic features all VILE issued devices had, the computer actually had the software necessary to emulate games and if turned on, would display the standard 3Ds menu, only opening up the VILE software if a certain button combination was entered. Magpie had convinced Dr. Bellum that the gaming capabilities of the device were necessary for concealment.

She opened the folder and pulled out her mission packet. “We’ve been sent to Saint Petersburg, Russia to steal the Rothschild egg from the Hermitage Museum. The egg is located in the east wing of the General Staff Building. Because the Hermitage is the second largest art museum in the world, security is high, and we won’t be able to just waltz right in there.

“Luckily for us, Dr. Bellum has created these little devices that can put out an electromagnetic field strong enough to disable the security system. The devices are even disguised as sweets as to not cause suspicion. Unfortunately, because of the small size and high power of these devices, they must be placed at certain locations in order to make certain that the security system is fully disabled.

“Under the guise of being a British student, I will visit the museum during the day and place the devices in the locations marked on the map of the building. At night, after the museum has closed, I will use my minicomputer to activate the devices, and we’ll begin phase two.

“Kaia, you’ll enter the museum via underground with El Topo, Le Chevre and I will head to the roof. You three will be in charge of taking out the guards; I’ll keep watch on the roof. After the guards are dealt with, El Topo will guard the tunnel entrance, while you two nick the egg. From there, we’ll all leave the way we came in, and Le Chevre will deliver the egg to an operative that will be waiting at the rendezvous point. Everybody understand?”

“What should we do if we run into Carmen Sandiego?” Asked Jean-Paul.

“There is one of her, and four of us.” Replied Nighthawk. “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

They landed outside the city on a runway disguised as a field, hidden by trees, and beside a safehouse made to look like a simple farmhouse.

Before leaving for the museum, Magpie changed into a sweater, jeans, and a warm coat, an outfit that wouldn’t raise any suspicions.

“Well, the car VILE sent should be here any minute; I guess I’ll see you all soon.” She told them.

Not long after Magpie had completed phase one of the plan, Carmen Sandiego was in the heart of the city, chatting with Player on her laptop.

“VILE is set to strike at the Hermitage Museum tonight.” She said to him. “Did you see anything suspicious on the security footage?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure its VILE related.” He replied. “This girl-she looks like she’s probably in high school-was there recently, and as she was looking around, she kept dropping these little things I think were candy, but the placement and frequency of the drops seemed suspicious.”

“Player, were there any good shots of her from the security camera, maybe of her face?” She asked him. “I need to see what she looks like.”

“Of course, Red.” Player sent her one of the pictures the security camera had captured.

It didn’t take Carmen long to recognize the person in the photo.

“I know her; she’s no high school student.” She told him. “That’s Magpie, one of my former classmates from my holdover year. She wasn’t the strongest or the toughest, but she was always good at using manipulation to get what she wanted, and because of her small size and innocence act, her ulterior motives were often overlooked.

“Of course, if she’s around, that means Nighthawk-the brawn to Magpie’s brains-can’t be too far away. Now, don’t get me wrong, Magpie isn’t useless in fights, and Nighthawk isn’t an idiot, but Magpie has always relied on her intelligence, while Nighthawk prefers to utilize her physical strength. During my time as their classmate, I learned that, while they’re both very capable on their own, if you put them together, they’re nearly unstoppable.”

“Are you worried?” Player asked her.

Carmen shook her head. “They’re nothing worse than I’ve faced before.”

As night fell, and the museum closed, the four VILE operatives began phase two. Magpie was now dressed in her black and white thief uniform; Nighthawk had never changed out of her camo patterned one.

As they approached the building, Magpie activated the previously placed devices, creating an electromagnetic that disabled the security system, and all other electronic devices in the surrounding area, including her minicomputer.

“We have about two hours before these things run out of juice.” She explained. “Of course, that should be plenty of time, providing we get started and don’t waste any time here.”

Nighthawk nodded, following Antonio underground as he started to dig a tunnel. Jean-Paul and Magpie began to climb the outside of the building in order to reach the roof.

Jean-Paul expected to see Magpie trailing far behind him when he reached the roof, but as he turned around, she was pulling herself up onto the roof.

“You climb so fast for someone so small.” He told her.

She nodded. “Before VILE, I used to clean windows for a living. I would also break into the richer flats by scaling the walls at night and rob those arse-lickers blind. How did you learn to climb so well?”

Jean-Paul shrugged. “Same way as you, I guess; I did it to steal.”

At the same time, Antonio and Nighthawk were tunneling into the museum.

“Your girlfriend, she is a bit odd.” Antonio told the woman. “But she is nice enough.”

Nighthawk nodded. “Your boyfriend isn’t a bad guy, either. Even though I can’t read people as well as Mags can, I can still tell that he cares greatly for you and worries about you sometimes.”

“When we were asleep, what did you two talk about?” He asked her.

“We talked about you two for a bit, but the conversation didn’t last for long after you two fell asleep; I’ve never been much of a talker, that’s usually Mags’s job. I heard you two whispering back there, but couldn’t make out any of the words, what was that all about?”

“Magpie knows you drug her snacks; she was telling me about it.” He told her. “She said she doesn’t mind though, since she hates long flights, and you always pack something that she likes.”

The woman chuckled. “I guess I should’ve realized that she had it figured out. She didn’t tell me, because it benefits her, and she didn’t want me to stop doing it. I’ll still keep it up, just don’t tell her that I know she knowns.”

“If she had figured it out, and didn’t like it, do you think she would have told you?” Asked Antonio.

Nighthawk gave a nod. “Of course. You may not realize it, but Mags is a bit of a sociopath. If something is beneficial to her, even is she knows its wrong, she won’t do anything to change it, and may even try to keep it as it is. Almost all her actions benefit her in some way, and she doesn’t like to help people unless there’s something in it for her. I don’t blame her for this; she has a lot of trust issues and believes that you have to do whatever it takes to survive in this world, even at the expense of others.”

“So I guess VILE is the perfect place for her.”

She shrugged. “In a way, yes. Her morals are very loose, but she’s never really been part of an organization before. She craves stability but doesn’t know what to do with it. On the other hand, I have experience being part of an organization, but had only a single crime on my record before joining VILE; desertion. I guess because of our different experiences, we make a good team.”

Carmen tried to contact Player as she approached the building, but her phone wouldn’t turn on. None of her other devices were working ether. This would make things a little harder, but it also meant that the VILE operatives couldn’t use any of their devices, either.

Seeing movement on the roof, she decided to head up there first, using a basic grappling hook to climb atop the building. There, she found Magpie, keeping watch. The smaller woman looked surprised to see her.

“I think something bad is happening in there.” The VILE operative lied. “They should have been back by now. I know we’re enemies now, but we used to be friends, and I don’t want you getting caught, too.”

“Your tricks didn’t work on me back at the academy, and they won’t work on me now.” Said Carmen.

Magpie’s expression changed. “You know full well my tricks worked on you back then. You know, I used to see you as a friend, but if I must end you, I will.”

Carmen knew that Magpie probably couldn’t beat her in a fight, but the more time she spent dealing with the operative, the less time she’d have to stop the actual theft.

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I’ve got a robbery to stop.” Replied Carmen, running past Magpie and climbing down the rope Jean-Paul had left tied to the frame of the skylight.

“Hey! I wasn’t done with you yet!” Shouted Magpie. “Get your arse back here!”

Everything was going fine. Nighthawk and Antonio had made quick work of the guards, and now stood guard as Jean-Paul worked on cutting through the glass case that held the Rothschild egg. Suddenly, Carmen Sandiego came sliding through the skylight with Magpie quick on her tail.

“Kaia! Stop her!” Shouted Magpie. “El Topo, Le Chevre! Change of plans; get the egg out through the tunnel instead of the sky light, and hurry!”

Nighthawk did as she was told and went after Carmen. Carmen tried to slip away, but the taller woman grabbed her by her hair, leaving her unable to escape.

“This is the reason they expected us to cut our hair back at the academy.” Said Nighthawk. “It just leaves another thing for your enemy to grab.”

Jean-Paul had almost cut all the way through the display case, and Carmen though VILE was going to get away this time. Suddenly Zack appeared at the skylight, shouting. She had almost forgotten that she’d asked him to follower her and cause a distraction if needed. As Nighthawk looked at Zack, her grip loosened enough for Carmen to get away.

Magpie was the first to notice that Carmen had escaped Nighthawk’s grip and was now heading towards the egg.

“Not so fast!” She shouted, getting between Carmen and the egg. “You’ll have to get past me first.”

Despite her small size, Magpie was a decent fighter. Unfortunately, like many other operatives, she always forgot to protect the face. This gave Carmen the opportunity to strike, knocking the smaller woman into another display case. She didn’t get up.

“Mags!” Shouted Nighthawk, ignoring Carmen and running to the aid of her partner.

She lifted Magpie off the ground, but the smaller woman still wasn’t waking up.

Nighthawk shook her lightly. “Come on, you have to be okay.”

Suddenly, Magpie opened her eyes and looked around. “She got away. You abandoned the mission, didn’t you?”

Nighthawk looked behind her. The egg was gone, along with Carmen and the rope that had been hanging from the skylight.

“I had too; I thought you were dead.” She replied.

Magpie gave a light chuckle. “I’ve had worse. You should’ve gone after Carmen instead; she only escaped because nobody was blocking the skylight exit.”

“You’re more important to me than any mission.” Nighthawk told her. “Come on; let’s get you back to the island. No sleeping on the plane, though; you probably have a concussion.”

As the four operatives exited the building through the tunnel, Antonio turned to Nighthawk.

“I would have done the same thing if I had been in your shoes.” He told her. “I’ve abandoned my fair share of missions for Jean-Paul.”

Nighthawk nodded at him. “Some things are more important than pleasing the head faculty.”


End file.
